Jaguars' Johnathan Cyprien studies to be stronger safety

Phillip Heilman

Saturday

Aug 6, 2016 at 6:37 PM

Before the unrelenting heat and constant thuds of training camp ushered in a new season, Jaguars safety Johnathan Cyprien spent extra time this summer studying what makes the best players at his position elite.

Cyprien analyzed the techniques of Kam Chancellor, Earl Thomas and Louis Delmas. He tried to learn more about the traits of former greats John Lynch, Lawyer Milloy and Darren Woodson.

If there is someone who starred at the safety position, Cyprien likely gave him at least a few minutes of his time.

Now he is trying to bring some of the tips he learned to life.

"There are things you can pick up from other people from film," Cyprien said. "Those were guys that I looked up to. Once you get an understanding of the game, you go back and see what they were doing - not just all of that highlights that are on TV.

"Some of those guys you can only see their highlights, but now you understand what they did to get in those positions to make those highlights."

Entering his fourth season in the league since being selected in the second round by the Jaguars in 2013, Cyprien believes he is finally in the ideal spot to make more highlights of his own.

It started with the addition of Tashaun Gipson in March.

With Gipson - a Pro Bowler in 2014 who has 14 career interceptions and believes, "If I can't get six or seven [interceptions this season], I don't need to be here" - manning the back end of the team's secondary from his free safety spot, Cyprien will be able to play closer to the line of scrimmage more often. Think of Cyprien, at times, almost as an added linebacker who can bring pressure.

It's a move the coaching staff would have liked to have made earlier in Cyprien's career.

"I believe this is exactly what they have been speaking about since I got here, and they've really been putting an emphasis on that all offseason," Cyprien said.

The objective: Take advantage of Cyprien's size (6-foot, 217 pounds) and ability to shed blocks and make plays.

Ideally, the Jaguars would have deployed Cyprien this way at the beginning of his career. But they lacked the kind of free safety Gipson projects to be - able to cover sideline to sideline downfield, allowing Cyprien to be closer to the football.

Cyprien already has made several nice plays near the line of scrimmage in training camp.

On Tuesday, he darted around the offensive line during 11-on-11s for what would have likely been a sack if hitting was allowed. Cyprien instead peeled off, but that didn't stop defensive coordinator Todd Wash from letting out a roar of approval, along with a majority of defensive teammates on the sideline.

That play is the one that comes to mind the quickest when measuring Cyprien's progress, but his comfort closer to the line of scrimmage has been noticeable since pads went on.

"You can see Cyp really starting to grasp what we're asking of him," Wash said. "The closer he gets to the ball, the better he gets. He's doing a great job of accepting his role, knowing what his role is, and you can see some flashes of some really, really good things."

Said Cyprien: "Tashaun definitely adds another level to our defense. With the way we are playing things and what I'm able to do with him behind me and what he is able to do with me in front of him, it just kind of amps things up a little bit."

However, the move won't come without a challenge for Cyprien - avoiding missed tackles. And considering the aggressive style of defense Wash indicates he wants to run, Cyprien will need to be at least functional in one-on-one coverage to maintain a starting spot over second-year safety James Sample.

First on the tackling …

Playing in 1,015 of the defense's 1,099 snaps last season (third-most), Cyprien led the Jaguars with 21 missed tackles, including 13 that came over the last six games, according to Times-Union charting. Cyprien has often been among the team's leaders in missed tackles during his career.

That total would seem to be the fly in the ointment of the plan put together by Wash and coach Gus Bradley. Wouldn't having a shaky tackler closer to the line only invite trouble? The Jaguars don't seem to think of it that way.

After studying Cyprien's season, Bradley believes a large chunk of his struggles came when he tried to make tackles downfield.

"There is going to be missed tackles, but we just felt like when he is in close quarters, then his percentage of making the tackle goes up quite a bit, and he is a good key and diagnose guy closer to the line of scrimmage," Bradley said. "Then with Gipson back there, his range is a good fit for us."

Said Cyprien: "I know what I'm capable of, and there are always things that you can get better at. It will only help me to get better at [tackling]."

And about covering …

Tight end Julius Thomas beat him for a touchdown of what looked to be about 20 yards on a well-placed pass to the corner of the end zone from quarterback Blake Bortles during Friday's scrimmage.

The accuracy of the throw combined with the overall athleticism of Thomas meant most safeties would have had trouble on the play, but Marcedes Lewis and Neal Sterling have each also gotten the better of Cyprien for big plays during camp.

"I know that I'm a strength and asset for this team," Cyprien said.

Now is when he must prove it.

Cyprien is entering the final year of his rookie deal - a critical point for any player hoping to secure a lucrative second contract - and he recognizes improvement is expected from him as part of a defense that should also be much better than it was a year ago. Finally comfortable with who he is and what will be asked of him, he is embracing those expectations as he works to become more like the players he looks up to most.

"Pressure is a good thing," Cyprien said. "I have pressure on myself to achieve everything I want."

Phillip Heilman: (904) 359-4271

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